


In sickness and in health

by Ginivandijk



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Iker is not the smartest crayon in the box, M/M, One shot turned into multiple chapters, Real Madrid CF, Sick Sergio, trigger warning: panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-23 23:58:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15617895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginivandijk/pseuds/Ginivandijk
Summary: Sergio gets sick and Iker takes care of him. When feelings get involved, however, Iker isn't the smartest person in the room. Cris tries to help the oblivious goalkeeper.





	1. You'll figure it out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rogue1987](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue1987/gifts).



> Hey everyone, this is the first fic I'm posting in the football-scene! *scared emoji* It was supposed to be a one shot but I got a little carried away... Oops? Please ignore the horrible summary I wrote, it's not one of my fortes.  
> English is not my first language so I hope there's not too many mistakes!  
> I hope you enjoy this little Seriker-thingy that my brain decided to come up with...
> 
> Much love to Rogue1987 for giving me the courage to post this! You're amazing <3

_Day 1_  
  
“Hey, Iker, Sergio didn’t seem to be feeling so well today…” Cris nudged Iker’s shoulder and nodded his head towards Sergio, who was standing in the showers, silently implying that the captain should go and talk to him.

Iker sighed and shook his head a little. “I’m not sure I’m the right person to do that, Cris. He’s been avoiding me for a while lately and I have no idea what I did wrong.”

“Just take care of him, Iker. You’re the person that knows him best. You’ll figure it out.” As Cristiano walked away, Iker was left standing in the middle of the dressing room, looking dumbfounded.

The last few weeks, Sergio hadn’t wanted to talk to Iker. During training, he’d avoided him and on the nights that they would usually have a movie night or play games, he’d stayed at home. Iker was more than a little hurt and had decided to ignore Sergio the way he was ignoring Iker.

But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t still paying attention when Sergio wasn’t looking. And he’d noticed the defender had been a little shaky during training today. He’d grown steadily worse over the next few hours.  

Iker started changing out of his training gear, but did so slowly. When most of the people had filed out of the changing room, Sergio was still in the shower. Iker slowly walked up to the shower part of the dressing room, trying to gather the courage to talk to his (former?) best friend.

“Sergio,” he called out tentatively, “Can we please talk when you’re done?”

“Iker? What are you still doing here?” Sergio’s voice sounded confused and Iker couldn’t blame him. Iker was usually one of the first people to leave the dressing room. The next part of Sergio’s answer sounded more determined. “And no, I’m really not in the mood to talk.”

Iker rolled his eyes. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy to convince the stubborn Spaniard to talk. “Sergio, come on! I know you’re not feeling well, but please let’s just get this over with.”

Sergio’s head came into view next to one of the shower stalls.  
“I said no!” His voice was firm when he gave Iker his answer, but Iker noticed that his eyes didn’t seem so sure. There was a desperate kind of look in them.

It didn’t feel right for Iker to leave Sergio behind like this. The defender might not be troubled by a fight, but Iker wasn’t used to walking away without solving them. So he waited for him in the locker room. He said goodbye to all the other players as they left and he was just playing a game on his phone when he heard Sergio’s voice again.

“Iker, you’re _still_ here? I told you I don’t want to talk! Go away please. I just want to go home and go to sleep.” Iker looked up just a little too early, _or just in time_ his subconscious (not so) helpfully submitted, and was forced to see how Sergio quickly wrapped a towel around his naked lower body.

Iker swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure if he could trust his voice immediately, so he coughed quickly. He thought about leaving Sergio behind. If the guy didn’t want to talk to him, then why should he spend energy on trying to convince him? But then he remembered the emotion that Sergio had had in his eyes when he looked at him from the shower. Desperation. He made up his mind and decided not to leave until he’d gotten Sergio to talk.

“Sergio, if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. You can just listen.”

“Iker-” Sergio started to protest but Iker held up his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

“No, Sergio, be quiet for once,” Iker used his captain’s voice. Sergio had sat down and just nodded solemnly. “I don’t know why you’ve been ignoring me, but it hurts like hell, alright? You’re my best friend on this team, man, I don’t know what to do without you! Training just seems boring now because I don’t have anyone to constantly joke around with. Movie nights on my own are stupid and not nearly as much fun. I miss my best friend and I don’t even know _why_ I have to miss him. Stop being so stubborn and JUST TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON!”

Before Iker could apologize for yelling at his best friend and before Sergio could even begin to formulate his answer, he shot up from the bench and raced towards the bathrooms. Iker was left behind dumbfounded in the dressing room for the second time that day, but when he heard retching sounds coming from the toilets he knew that Sergio hadn’t meant to run out on him.

When he got to the bathroom stall, he saw Sergio with one hand on the toilet seat and the other one in his hair. Despite the situation Iker chuckled.

“Sergio, you know that you don’t have to hold your hair back anymore now, right? Is that why you cut it? So puking would become easier?” As he knelt down next to Sergio, he got a certain finger aimed at him and he chuckled again.

Iker turned serious though as he saw the tremors going through Sergio’s body. He started rubbing small circles on his lower back. When the puking stopped and Sergio was just dry heaving, he cautiously pulled the other man into his arms. Sergio tried to protest but Iker just tightened his grip around him.

“Shhh, Sese, don’t struggle. It’s okay. I got you…” When Sergio finally gave up the struggle, he slumped against Iker’s body. The older man placed a small kiss on his hair and softly rubbed his arm. As Sergio’s breathing returned to normal, Iker slowly got up and offered his hand to a miserably looking Sergio.

He looked to be in deliberation with himself for a minute, before finally accepting Iker’s hand and letting the goalkeeper help him up. He swayed a little on his feet, but Iker’s hand quickly grabbed his bicep and he was glad for the support from his captain.

Suddenly Sergio started blushing furiously as he looked down at himself. He was still only wearing the towel that he had wrapped around his body as he had come out of the shower. Iker followed his gaze and laughed, which made Sergio look up to him quickly.

“Don’t worry about something minor like that, man. I’ve seen you naked before.” When Sergio just turned even more red, Iker held up his hands in surrender.

“Let it go, Sese. Come on, get dressed, I’m taking you home.”

Sergio started shaking his head. Iker figured he wanted to be alone right now and sleep off this horrible feeling in his stomach that he had, but he wasn’t having it.

“I can drive myself home, Iker.” His voice was hoarse from being sick and he was still shaking from utter exhaustion. Iker cocked his head while pulling up an eyebrow, as if to say ‘yeah sure’. As Sergio had to sit down, because being on his feet this long was too much for his body to handle, he sighed and reluctantly nodded towards the older man.

“Okay, fine. Whatever. But I don’t need your help with anything.” Iker just nodded and started playing a game on his phone again, waiting for Sergio to get dressed.

He took even longer than he usually did to go through his normal routine, but Iker just let him be. If the guy wanted to be in denial about not needing any help, then he’d let him. He was just glad that Sergio had agreed to let Iker drive him home, because he was in no state to be behind the wheel himself.

After nearly having to drag Sergio across the parking lot, the younger man leaning all of his weight on the goalie, Iker had placed him in the front seat of his car. Sergio was now looking paler than Iker had ever seen him. Tremors were still going through all of his body and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. His hands were firmly clutching his stomach.

“Go to sleep, Sese. I’ll wake you up when we get there.” Sergio didn’t reply, but he seemed to gladly agree as he placed his head against the cool glass of the side door and dozed off within a few minutes, despite the pain he was feeling.

When they arrived at Sergio’s house, Iker softly grabbed the younger man’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

“Sergio, we’re home. Time to wake up for a little bit, man.” Sergio mumbled something unintelligible and Iker smiled a lopsided smile. Because of the anger he’d been feeling for Sergio the last few weeks, he’d almost forgotten how much he adored this man.

He’d not only missed hanging out with Sergio, but he’d missed the way the other man would defend him to the rest of the squad when something was going on. He’d missed the way they would run towards each other after training and hug, happy to be done for the day. He missed the way Sergio would put his hand on Iker’s arm and tell him he’d do great that day.

It was only at that moment, while he was hauling Sergio out of his car and searching for the keys to the other man’s house, that he realized how much they were constantly touching each other every day. And how much he liked it because it made him feel secure. Safe.

As he put Sergio down on his couch, he went into the kitchen to get him some water and crackers. Iker reasoned that Sergio had to at least eat _something_ before going to bed. When he got back to the living room, however, Sergio had disappeared. Iker sighed. The man was too stubborn for his own good sometimes.

But then he saw Sergio’s phone still laying on the couch and grew worried. Sergio never went anywhere without his phone and he wouldn’t just ‘forget’ it on the couch. He must’ve been in a hurry when he left the living room and Iker’s shoulders sagged as he walked towards the bathroom. Sure enough, Sergio was sitting on the cold tile in front of the toilet, his head leaning against it.

He was shivering and was clenching his jaw, desperately trying to keep his teeth from chattering but it wasn’t doing much good. Just as Iker was about to sit down next to him, another wave of nausea his Sergio and he lunged forward again. Iker quickly got a washcloth from the sink and wetted it with cold water before putting it in Sergio’s neck.

Sergio hissed momentarily and Iker felt bad.

“I’m sorry, Sese, but this will help with the nausea.” Eventually, Sergio stopped getting sick and then stopped dry heaving and he slumped back into Iker’s arms, totally exhausted. Iker felt Sergio’s forehead and was worried about how hot it felt.

“I think I ate something wrong at breakfast today, Iker. Did anyone else get sick?” Sergio’s voice was just above a whisper and Iker had to bring his ear closer to the other man’s mouth to be able to hear him.

“I don’t think so, man. But I’ll ask around later, okay? For now, we just have to get you into bed.”

“Iker, I told you. I don’t need help. I can take care of myself.” Sergio protested, but Iker wouldn’t have it. His best friend was in bad shape, and he’d do everything in his power to take care of him.

“Sergio, no. I don’t care if you think you can do everything on your own. You’re sick, and I’m going to take care of you. That’s what best friends do! Let me help, Sese…” Sergio stayed quiet so Iker put his right arm behind Sergio’s back and his left arm under his legs and lifted him up.

As he carried him up the stairs, Sergio shifted his head so it was laying in the crook of Iker’s neck. Iker kissed the top of Sergio’s hair again and suddenly noticed how good it felt to have Sergio this close to him. Just as his mind was about to dive into overdrive because of what he was beginning to realize, Sergio twitched in his arms.

“What’s wrong, Sergio?” Iker’s voice was unsteady, but he was certain that the other man was feeling too bad to register that right now.

“My mouth tastes horrible and my throat burns like crazy,” Sergio answered softly. It almost sounded shy, like he was afraid to admit that something was wrong.

As soon as Iker placed him on the right side of the king sized bed, Sergio curled into a tight ball, clutching his stomach.

“I’m going to grab some things for you, Sergio. Just lie still, okay? You’ll feel better soon.” Sergio could only nod as Iker sprinted downstairs to get the things he needed. When he came back to Sergio’s bedroom, he was carrying a heat pack, an icepack, a glass of water, a plate with some crackers and some medicine.

Iker reasoned that Sergio was experiencing something close to food poisoning, so he knew that the severity of the symptoms wouldn’t go down anytime soon. He’d help to get Sergio through the next few days.

Sergio was in the exact same position that Iker had left him in. When he sat down next to the sick man, he slowly pried Sergio’s hands away from where they were clutching his painful stomach and gave his hands a soft squeeze. As he grabbed the heat pack and placed it on Sergio’s stomach, he could see the instant bit of comfort affect the younger man. His body became a little more relaxed and Sergio opened his eyes to look up at Iker.

“Iker, you don’t have to take care of me. I can-” But Iker placed his index finger over Sergio’s lips. He wondered if he was the only one that had felt the small jolt of electricity that had surged through, at least, _his_ body as they’d touched. Why had he never noticed that before? Had Sergio always felt like this? Or maybe the defender had never even felt it, let alone thought about it.

That idea alone was crushing down on Iker, who finally realized that over the years, he had fallen for the sanguineous Spaniard in front of him. He’d just never realized that it was something more than very close friendship, until it had been taken away from him.

He realized, also, that this was not the right moment to have this conversation with Sergio, so he forced his mind to calm down and focused on doing everything in his power to make the younger man feel better.

“Sese, can you sit up for me, baby?” The nickname slipped through Iker’s lips before he’d even realized it. He was fiercely hoping that Sergio was too far out of it to remember it later.

When Sergio was sitting upright, Iker pulled him against his torso with his left arm and reached for the glass of water with his right hand. Sergio made a satisfied noise when the water ran down his throat, chasing away most of the taste of vomit.

Iker forced him to eat one cracker and made him swallow some more water after that. When he’d laid Sergio back down on the bed, he placed the icepack on his neck and checked to see if the heat pack was still in place. After he was satisfied, he pulled up the blankets and placed a small kiss on Sergio’s hair, who smiled a small smile as he felt the source of contact.

Iker was about to walk away, ready to wait downstairs until Sergio woke up again, when Sergio’s arm shot out and grabbed hold of his shirt.

“Please stay,” he softly pleaded. Even though his plea was a testimony to how bad he really felt, he was trying to sound strong. But his teeth were still chattering and his whole body was still shaking. And even though his eyes were closed, his face was scrunched up in such a way that Iker could see pain. But there was something else there, something that made his face look younger. Uncertainty.

“Sese, are you sure that’s way you want? Are you not still mad at me?” Despite himself, Sergio chuckled and slowly shook his head no, making sure not to shift the icepack against his neck.

“How could I be mad at someone that’s taking care of me this well?” His voice was a little steadier than it had been half an hour ago and Iker was glad for that.

As Iker slowly laid down next to Sergio, the younger man shifted and looked at him. His eyes showed sadness and defeat as he spoke next.

“You’re my best friend after all, right? I can’t stay mad at my best friend when he’s just my best friend. When he’ll always be just my best friend…” And finally Iker understood. Sergio hadn’t been mad because of something he did, but because of something he _hadn’t_ done. Because he hadn’t shown him that he loved him too, as more than a best friend. But how could he have, when he hadn’t known himself? Suddenly Cristiano’s words rang clear in his head: ‘You’ll figure it out.’. He smiled and leaned down to kiss Sergio’s hair once more. He felt like that might be becoming his thing.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a fool. I’m such an idiot!” He looked down at Sergio. “I’m sorry it took you pulling away from me to realize that what I was feeling wasn’t just love for a best friend.” Sergio’s eyes went wide as he realized what Iker was trying to say. He started trembling even harder and Iker quickly pulled him into a hug.

“Shh, Sese, you have to stay calm. Too much stress on your body isn’t good right now.” Sergio struggled out of Iker’s grip and looked at him incredulously.

“Then stop telling me things that stress me out like this!” Iker laughed and placed his index finger under Sergio’s chin, lifting up his head until he was looking straight at the other man.

“What I was trying to say, Sese, is that I wasn’t clearheaded enough to see what you meant to me until you weren’t around me all the time anymore. I missed your stubbornness, I missed your enthusiasm, I missed the way you’re always so _open_ about what you feel. And I’m, again, sorry for not realizing any of this sooner. For not seeing that the reason you were angry was because of this. I’m sor-”

Iker was cut off by Sergio’s lips that came crashing onto his own. It felt different from what he had expected. Sergio’s lips were softer than he’d thought, but the beard added a weird feeling to the kiss. Right as Iker was about to get over his surprise and start kissing back, Sergio was pulling back already.

Iker made a rather shameful noise at the loss of contact and Sergio smirked, even though he still looked like he felt very sick and was in pain.

“I just realized that we should probably only do this when I’ve actually brushed my teeth.” Iker laughed and nodded. Sergio had a fair point.

So Iker settled for placing his lips against Sergio’s hair for a long kiss that he hoped conveyed the love that he was feeling for the younger man. Then Iker smiled a proud smile at Sergio.

“You’ve stopped shaking, Sese. That’s a good sign.” Sergio nodded in agreement. After Iker had Sergio eat two more crackers and swallow some more water, they laid back down.

Sergio placed his head on top of Iker’s chest and cuddled up to the older man. Just as he was sure that Iker was about to fall asleep, he smirked.

“You know that I heard you loud and clear when you called me ‘baby’ before, right?” He heard the small spike in Iker’s heartrate and slung his arm over Iker’s stomach, happy with his little victory of startling Iker.

“Don’t worry, I kind of liked it.” He heard Iker laugh and felt another kiss being placed on top of his head. That was something else that he could get used to. It made him feel safer than he’d felt in a very long time.

“Good night, baby,” Iker softly mused and Sergio chuckled.

“Good night, Iker."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter!   
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment/kudo, I'd love you forever!


	2. It doesn't have to be a problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, here we go, the next chapter! Lots of angst in this one :((  
> One more chapter after this! 
> 
> I was blown away by the amount of kudos on the first chapter, I never thought I'd get that many. Thank you all so much! I hope everyone enjoys reading this, too.

_Day 2_

Iker quietly untangled himself from between Sergio’s limbs and smiled at the younger man. He looked to be sleeping peacefully and Iker was glad. As he walked downstairs, he thought back to the events of last night and his heart skipped several beats as a small shiver went down his spine. Even though he was nervous about how all of this would progress, he was sure that they’d make it work.

Even before he made himself a cup of coffee, he called Mourinho to let him know that Sergio was too sick to come to training and that he would be taking care of him. Mourinho was pissed off that they wouldn’t be there, but then again, when wasn’t Mourinho pissed off at him? He quickly texted the rest of the players on the group text they had with each other to explain what was going on. He was worried that Mourinho might put a twist on his story as to why he wasn’t there. When all the ‘get well’-messages for Sergio and the ‘good luck’-messages for himself came in he decided to answer them later and finally made himself his well deserved coffee.

Hours later, when he was done cleaning the kitchen after having lunch, he’d just taken his first sip of yet another coffee and was enjoying the way the hot liquid burned his throat a little. Right at that moment, he heard the living room door open. Sergio came in, not looking much better than the night before. His face was pale, his cheeks hollow and he was still clutching his stomach as he walked. But that didn’t keep him from placing a smirk on his face as he hit a button on his phone.

Suddenly the chorus of Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ filled the living room and Sergio burst out laughing at Iker’s shocked and embarrassed face. Iker shook his head with a fond smile a few seconds later but inwardly sighed. These were going to be a long few days.

“You know I can just walk out of this door, right? Leave you to fend for yourself?” Iker kept his voice serious but the twinkle in Sergio’s eyes made him chuckle in the end.

“You would never,” Sergio dared to claim.

“Don’t try me, Ramos,” Iker retaliated, but he smiled despite himself. “Come here.”

As Sergio walked over, Iker noticed how utterly exhausted he looked, even though he just woke up. He circled his arms around Sergio’s waist and pulled him close as he put a featherlight kiss on his lips. He felt Sergio smile against his lips and he pulled back slowly, putting his forehead against Sergio’s.

“Twenty four hours ago, I hadn’t even realized I felt like this,” Iker mused and he chuckled. Despite only discovering his feelings last night, he felt like he had been craving this for eternity.

Sergio’s hands cupped his face and he closed his eyes, just enjoying the contact. He felt the defender’s beard tickle his chin even before he felt Sergio’s lips touch his own. He still thought the beard felt a little weird but he could definitely get used to it, Iker thought. As Sergio deepened the kiss by cocking his head to the right and tentatively sliding his tongue over Iker’s lips, Iker walked backwards towards the couch, tugging Sergio along but not once breaking the contact with him.

As he felt his calves hit the side of the couch, he let himself fall backwards and Sergio fell right on top of him. They laughed, but Sergio’s lips found his again only a second later, hungry for more. Iker couldn’t keep in his moan as Sergio put his hand in his hair and tugged slightly. He felt Sergio smirk against his lips and the younger man did it a few more times, teasing Iker. It made Iker lightheaded to think about how hot Sergio had to be looking right now. He could almost _see_ it in his head, even with his eyes closed.

As the kiss grew more heated, both of their tongues exploring the new territory, Iker wanted to flip them around. But Sergio was heavier than the girls he’d been with. He misjudged how quickly he had to roll over and ended up almost dropping Sergio off the couch.

“Really?” Sergio said, annoyed at the loss of contact. Iker just laughed and tried again, this time placing the younger man under him effectively.

“Shut up, Sese. Just kiss me,” It felt a little weird for Iker to say something like that to his best friend, but he tried not to think about it too much. As soon as their lips had connected again all his doubts faded away as he melted into the kiss.

All of a sudden Sergio pulled back and his face scrunched up in pain.

“Bathroom,” he managed to blurt out and Iker quickly got off of him, before following a sprinting Sergio towards the toilet.

With his hand on Sergio’s lower back, Iker smiled a small smile. “At least we’re starting to get into a routine with the whole after-care thing…” That even pulled a smile out of Sergio, once he was done emptying his stomach.

During the night, Sergio had had to get out of bed four times because of the nausea. Afterwards, Iker would go downstairs to grab him some crackers and a glass of water, and sometimes some meds, while Sergio brushed his teeth before laying back down in bed.

“Should I carry you back to bed, princess?” Iker asked jokingly, referring back to the afternoon before when they’d been in the same position. An angry expression took over Sergio’s face and Iker looked at him, taken aback by the ferocity in Sergio’s stare.

“Don’t baby me like that! I’m not some stupid kid that can’t do anything on their own!” Sergio’s voice was hoarse and a little shaky, but Iker could hear the venom underneath. The change in his behavior confused Iker, but he also understood, to a certain degree. Sergio probably just felt utterly helpless and was acting out because he was angry at himself. The outburst still made Iker furious, though. He’d been taking care of Sergio the best he could since yesterday, and this is what he got for it? He was hurt. Iker knew that he shouldn’t put fuel on the flame, but he couldn’t help riling Sergio up even further, knowing how easy it was.

“I thought you liked the whole ‘baby’-thing? Wasn’t it you that came downstairs blaring that stupid song just a little while ago, huh? Well, I’m sorry, _baby_ , but if you want do it on your own so badly, you can. Go ahead! I’ll be in the living room if you decide to change your stubborn little mind.” Iker was livid and stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

A few minutes later he heard Sergio walking up the stairs quietly and he sighed deeply. Was this relationship ever going to work out? Iker thought about the differences between him and Sergio. He was messy, while the goalkeeper himself liked a clean, organized house. Sergio was _always_ late to everything, while Iker was very punctual. The defender was loud and obnoxious, and although Iker didn’t mind a party here and there, he was usually very quiet.

Doubt settled in Iker’s mind, and subsequently, in his heart. He honestly didn’t want to give up so easily, but he started panicking as he thought about all the potential fights they were going to have. After almost an hour of doubting everything they’d come to share since last night he felt an invisible hand closing around his throat and he decided to call the one person he knew he could trust with this. Luckily the call was picked up on the second ring.

“Cris,” a solemn voice sounded on the other end and Iker walked out towards the garden before answering. The fresh air calmed him down a little.

“Hey, it’s Iker.” He heard a snort and then Cris’ voice came back.

“I know, Iker. There’s this thing called caller ID… What’s up?” Iker was having trouble keeping in his tears hearing Cristiano’s compassionate voice. He felt like an utter failure.

“I’m failing Sergio, Cris. I want to be with him, I do. But we just had our first fight. After not even twenty four hours! What if we start fighting all the time?” Cris wasn’t having it and he could almost _see_ the man shake his head on the other side of the phone.

“You’re not failing anybody, Iker, I promise. So what if you fight? You think every relationship is rose pebbles and moonshine? Let me tell you that it’s not. So you’ll work through your fights, like you always do. C’mon Iker, did you forget that you already fought with him, like _every minute_ , when you guys were ‘just’ best friends? You worked it out then too!” Iker sighed exasperatedly. Cris was right, but there was one problem that the other man hadn’t considered.

“I know that, but-”

“Iker, that was _yesterday_! Yesterday you knew how to handle him perfectly! You know that you’re the only person on this planet that can calm him down when that temper gets the best of him. You didn’t just lose that ability just because you’ve gone from best friends to boyfriends!”

“But _Cris_ ,” Iker almost whined, willing the number seven to understand his hopelessness, “that’s kind of the point. When we were best friends, I would leave his house at the end of the day or the other way around and I’d have my peace and quiet again. Now if we’re going to live together, I’ll be furious at him within two days if I don’t get my space! That’s not normal in a relationship, right?”

“Iker, will you listen to me? There’s so many people that are completely different, but are still in a relationship together. They make it work too! It doesn’t have to be a problem. Were you planning on moving in with him tomorrow or something? You still have your own house Iker, you don’t have to be with him twenty four-seven to be considered a couple, okay? Go take your own time at some point, I’m sure he’ll be glad for it too! And if you eventually _do_ move in together, just make sure that there’s a certain spot in the house that’s completely yours, where you can just relax, alright?” Iker blushed. He had been panicking so much that he hadn’t even seen the many, fairly easy, ways that his doubts could be settled, without having to _break up_ with Sergio.

“Cris, you’re always the voice of reason. So sorry for bothering you with my stupid doubts. I love you.” Iker couldn’t explain how happy he was with Cris right now. He felt like a thousand kilo’s had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“No problem, capitán. I love you too. Go make up with Sergio alright? God knows that he’s doubting you two right now too and needs your support. He’s too stubborn to _ask_ support from anyone.”  Cris made a kissy noise on the other side and it made Iker laugh, which was probably the only reason he did it anyway.

Iker watched TV for another hour and then went for a walk, trying to get rid of his nerves before facing Sergio after their first fight. Well, their first fight as a couple, anyway, because Cris was right. They had always bickered back and forth a lot. When Iker got back to Sergio’s house, it was almost 7pm and he quickly made himself some dinner. It was way earlier than his usual dinner, but he was tired and he knew that he had to go back to training tomorrow. Sergio would probably wake up a few more times throughout the night, too, so he wanted to get to bed early to be able to still get enough sleep.

Before opening the door to Sergio’s bedroom he took a few deep breaths, making sure that all of the nervousness was out of his system. As he watched the form under the covers on the bed, he saw small shocks going through the curled up body. Softly he walked towards the bed and placed his hand on Sergio’s side.

“Hey, Sese…” The younger man looked up at Iker and even in the dark room Iker could see the watery eyes full of despair looking back up at him.

“Nene, are you crying?” The speed with which Sergio turned his head was enough of an answer on its own.

Iker felt incredibly bad. He shouldn’t have waited so long before reaching out to Sergio. But on the other hand, Sergio could’ve just come downstairs, too. Iker sighed and quickly laid down next to his new lover. While spooning up behind him and slinging an arm over Sergio’s middle, he tried to calm the other man down.

“Hey, Sergio, listen to me okay? Is this about the fight we had this afternoon?” Sergio nodded, barely noticeable, but it was there.

“I went – went downstairs to talk to you like two hours ago, but you weren’t there. I, I-” Sergio’s voice cracked and he took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. “I couldn’t find you anywhere. I thought you might’ve left, Iker. I know I’m a lot to handle and so I thought that maybe you’d gotten enough and you left…”

Iker’s face fell. So he _had_ come downstairs, Iker just hadn’t been there… He felt incredibly bad and wanted to explain to Sergio where he’d been, but Sergio interrupted him.

“Sese, I was just-”

“You said it when I came downstairs this morning, Iker. Remember? You said you could just walk out the door whenever you wanted to!” Big tears were spilling down Sergio’s cheeks and he turned his head away from the older man to hide them.

However, Iker grabbed the defender’s side, making him turn around to face the goalkeeper. He then placed his index finger under Sergio’s chin and lifted his face back up so he could look him in the eyes, just like he’d done the night before. He wiped away some of the tears that were falling on Sergio’s cheeks, but new ones were spilling out his eyes too fast. Iker softly kissed the other man on his forehead.

“No, baby, I was just taking a walk to try and clear my head. I know that your thoughts probably went down the same path that mine did, so I get that the fight spiked some doubt in the both of us. But trust me, I’m not leaving you like that, okay? I promise. Although I think we should wait until you get better to have the big talk about how we’re going to make this work, because we both know that we _do_ need to have that talk… But we’re both tired right now, and probably more emotional than we have to be.” Iker’s voice was soft, but steady as he talked to Sergio. He wanted to solve the whole situation now and completely work it out with Sergio, but he could clearly see that Sergio was still sick and very tired. They both needed to be in the right headspace if they were going to have that conversation.

Sergio solemnly nodded. He’d stopped crying but his breath was still hitching every time. Iker simply tightened his arms around him and was glad when Sergio placed his head on Iker’s chest. His breathing was slowly starting to even out as Iker kept rubbing circles on his back.

He could feel Sergio start to relax slowly, unwinding from the stress that the day had brought with it. Iker knew that he was still feeling doubtful, could easily feel his own doubts swim in his chest, ready to be unleashed as soon as another small hiccup would shake up their relationship. But for now, he was glad that they were both in bed, cuddled up together with the promise of making their relation stronger as soon as Sergio felt better.

But the talk they needed to have wasn’t going to be easy. Iker felt a heavy weight settle on his chest, and it wasn’t just from Sergio’s head that was peacefully resting on it. Both of them would need to lay out boundaries for the other to respect if they were going to make this work. Until now, the first few months of his other relationships had been easygoing and relaxed. He was wondering if this rocky start of theirs was a forebode of the fact that their relationship was doomed.

Iker sighed and felt Sergio shift against his side. When he looked down at the man that he guessed he could now call his boyfriend he felt a gush of love taking over his heart. He was surprised by the severity of it and the way it made him feel as if everything would be okay after all. That heavy weight in his chest suddenly replaced itself with a feeling that could almost be described as nervousness. But not in a bad way, more like the way that one gets nervous for something exciting that’s about to happen.

Sergio yawned, seemingly close to falling asleep.

“Good night, Iker.” The words were whispered, like he was afraid of breaking the silence between them.

“Good night, baby,” Iker whispered back, following it up with a small kiss on Sergio’s head. Despite everything, the younger man smiled and placed his hand over Iker’s heart before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad for both of them while writing this haha I just want them to be happy but my brain decided that they weren't going to be, just yet. At least not completely... 
> 
> I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on this chapter! Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


	3. We'll talk after practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio starts to get better, but it's not making anyone actually feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! I'm kind of sad that it has ended already, but I thought that this was a good point to cut it off befor it became too tedious...  
> Trigger warning: description of a panic attack in this chapter! Don't read that part if that triggers you <3

_Day 3_

Iker’s alarm clock went off at 7.30 and he groaned as he turned around to shut it off. When he turned back to cuddle up to Sergio some more, he was surprised to find the bed empty. Opening his eyes to scan the room, his eyes landed on the open bedroom door. However, the bathroom door, that could be seen through the door opening of the bedroom, was closed. He was sure that he’d left it open last night before joining Sergio in bed. Iker’s heart sank as he looked at the closed piece of wood a little longer. Sergio was probably in the bathroom throwing up again. This would be day three of Sergio getting sick all the time, and it was starting to really worry Iker. It was like an alarm clock was constantly going off in the back of his head, telling him to look out for Sergio and to check on him.

He’d called the team doctor yesterday, who said that if the fever hadn’t gone down by the end of today and Sergio still couldn’t keep any of his crackers or water in, he had to bring him by the doctor’s office. Iker knew that Sergio absolutely wasn’t a fan of doctors and he was already dreading having to take the defender if it came down to that.

As he got up to check on Sergio, he could indeed hear gagging sounds coming from the bathroom and softly shook his head. Poor Sergio. He bumped into the bathroom door that, instead of opening when Iker turned the handle, was apparently locked. Iker looked at it confused. One of the rules that Iker and Sergio had always had when one of them got sick over the years was that the bathroom door was never to be locked because they had to be able to help each other if something was seriously wrong.

“Sese? Why’d you lock the door, Nene?” He heard the toilet flush and then heard Sergio turn on the tap, before he opened the door. When he came in to the bathroom, Iker couldn’t read the other man as he had his back turned to the door so he was able to wash the bitter taste out of his mouth at the sink.

“Sese?”

“I’m sorry, Iker. Force of habit.” Sergio wouldn’t look at him while he was talking and Iker was even more confused. He’d never locked the door when getting sick before. There _was_ no habit. What was going on with him?

“It’s okay. C’mon, let’s take your temperature, alright? Let’s see how you’re doing.” Iker decided to act as if he hadn’t noticed the shift in Sergio’s behavior. Sergio nodded and followed him back towards the bedroom. After putting the thermometer in his lover’s mouth, Iker went to brush his teeth. When he came back he was pleasantly surprised to see that the fever had finally decided to go down.

“Thirty six and a half, Sese. At least you’re not running a fever anymore! You’re on the right track.” Iker smiled at Sergio, but the defender didn’t seem too happy. He was smiling a small smile, but it wasn’t reaching his eyes. There was a combination of despair and sadness in them. Iker’s heart felt heavy while looking into those beautiful eyes and he wondered what was going on with Sergio. He placed a hand softly on the side of Sergio’s face, his thumb stroking his cheekbone. Sergio’s resolve seemed to break completely at the simple touch and Iker saw that he was struggling to keep tears from falling out of his eyes.

“At least you don’t have to go see a doctor now this afternoon, baby.” Iker winked, trying to cheer Sergio up a little. It got a small chuckle out of Sergio and that would have to do for now. Iker had to be quick to still make it to training at his usual time and he placed a small kiss on Sergio’s mouth and then one on the top of his head before grabbing his training-bag.

“I have to go now, but I’ll see you later okay? Take good care of yourself. Don’t forget to drink water every hour and to have some food, okay? Text me if your situation changes. I’ll miss you at training today!” Sergio smiled sadly at that, but he nodded. Iker knew that he was being more of a mother hen than a boyfriend, but he didn’t really care. It didn’t feel good leaving Sergio behind while he was still sick and he tried to make himself feel better by repeating all the advise he could give the younger man. It wasn’t working, Iker acknowledged sadly because he was still feeling that worry in the pit of his stomach and the alarm bells were still going off in the back of his head.

“Have fun, Iker. I’ll miss you too.” Iker thought he saw a sheen of tears in Sergio’s eyes again, but the other man quickly turned away so he wasn’t sure and decided to let it go.

Once downstairs, Iker grabbed two granola bars and a bottle of water before making his way out to the car. As he drove towards the Valdebebas, Iker was thinking of something nice he could do for Sergio that would make him smile. Iker didn’t know what was going on with him, but it didn’t seem like the fact that he was _getting_ better, was actually making him _feel_ better.

The number four had seemed like he wasn’t in the right headspace when Iker said goodbye and it had left Iker feeling unsettled. Everything about his friendship with Sergio that he’d come to appreciate over the last few years had been on the rocks following that confession he made two nights ago. It had been a roller coaster since he had realized what he was feeling towards Sergio and ever since Sergio’s outburst, they’d been nervous around each other, doubting themselves and what they were feeling. Somehow, the step that should have brought them closer together, had driven them further apart in the past few days than they’d been in years. The ground they were walking on was beginning to feel like thin ice and Iker was worried. If they didn’t turn things back around soon, they were going to fall through the ice and sink in the freezing waters filled with annoyance, awkwardness and anger.

Iker turned on the radio in the car to distract himself from the dark thoughts that were invading his mind. He really wanted to make things work with Sergio, but he didn’t understand what was going on between them. Why had the atmosphere around them suddenly changed?

When he forced himself to listen to the radio and to stop thinking about Sergio for a minute, he started laughing. The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ was playing and he couldn’t help but think that this was the thing that Sergio needed. So when he arrived at the Valdebebas, early as always, he stayed in his car for a little while longer and typed a text message to Sergio.

‘Just arrived. Wanted to know how you were doing? Heard this song in the car and thought of you ;) Hope to make you smile.’ He attached a link to the song and walked towards the building with a smile on his face.

He didn’t get a reply before training started but he figured that Sergio had gone back to sleep so he wasn’t too worried. During the start of training, all their teammates kept asking about Sergio and how he was doing. Iker didn’t mind and answered all of them, updating the others on Sergio’s situation. But when they started asking him about how the two of them were doing _together_ , he got insecure.

Because how were they doing? He didn’t have a good answer to that. Yes, they were together now, he guessed. Although things had only felt like they’d gotten more complicated, instead of becoming easier now that both of them had acted upon their feelings.

Cristiano seemed to notice that Iker had his doubts about the answer of the question and decided to distract the others by playing a trick on Marcelo. Everyone started laughing and they dispersed across the field, ready to actually start training. Iker placed his hand on Cris’ bicep and mouthed a ‘thank you’. Cris nodded and a smile took over his face.

“We’ll talk after training, alright?” He proposed and Iker could only nod back. Even though he knew that Cris could help him make sense of this mess, he still wasn’t keen on talking about this whole Sergio-thing. It was like he was afraid that if he spoke about their troubles out loud, it would make them more real somehow and would make the whole relationship come down in a cluster of ‘maybe’s’ and ‘I don’t know’s’. 

Back in the dressing room, Iker had a text message form Sergio and his heart sank.

‘Feeling bad. Fever’s back & been throwing up a lot. The song was cute :)’ He decided to skip the team lunch at the Valdebebas in favor of making it home a little earlier to take care of Sergio.

As everyone was walking towards the lunch room, Iker started walking the other way, but Cristiano stopped him in the hallway by circling his fingers around the goalkeeper’s wrist. Iker turned around abruptly and was relieved to see the oh-so familiar face of one of his closest friends.

“Hey,” he greeted the young player and he sank down against the wall to sit on the floor, knowing Cris wasn’t going to let him walk away any time soon. Cristiano followed his lead and as he was sitting down, circled his arm around Iker’s shoulders and pulled the other man towards him. Iker let his head fall onto Cristiano’s shoulder, sighing deeply. He could feel the worry radiating off the number seven and didn’t blame him. Iker hadn’t been paying a lot of attention during training. He made some stupid mistakes and they hadn’t gone unnoticed by Cristiano. His mind had been with Sergio, of course, and with how the other man would be doing right about now.

“So, what’s bothering you?” Cristiano squeezed Iker’s shoulder lightly as he spoke.

“It’s just…” Iker sighed. He was trying to find the words to describe what he was feeling, but he couldn’t quite figure out how to tell Cris. After a silence that seemed to last forever and that only frustrated Iker further, Cristiano decided to take a different approach.

“Okay, you’re obviously worried about something. What’s your _biggest_ worry right now?”

It worked, because that was a question that Iker could easily answer.

“Sergio!” Cris rolled his eyes at the older man’s answer and tried to be more specific.

“No, I mean what _about_ Sergio is your biggest worry right now?”

“Oh,” Iker said dumbfounded. He thought about his answer for a while before he looked up at Cris.

“I guess the way he’s been acting ever since last night. He seems so… I don’t know. Distant?” Iker sighed yet again and threw his hands up in the air desperately, not knowing exactly how to explain it.

“My boyfriend is pulling away from me and I can’t even figure out why!” He was so frustrated with himself because he was unable to read Sergio. He’d never had a problem with that before, but now it seemed like the toughest job in the world. Iker hated himself for it, because not being able to read Sergio, meant that he was also not able to comfort him.

Cristiano decided to intervene in Iker’s pity party and grabbed his hand to make Iker focus on him. As Iker’s head came up to look at Cris, the young man slapped Iker on his cheek fairly hard.

“Ow!” Iker exclaimed, as his own hand went flying up to the spot that Cristiano’s had just vacated.

“What the hell, Cris?” Iker’s voice was raising in volume, but Cristiano just shrugged. Iker felt anger bubble up in his chest, until the younger man started speaking again.

“Why are you constantly thinking of yourself, Iker? Yesterday when you called, it was _you_ that was doubting the relationship. Today, you _say_ that you are worrying about Sergio, but are you? Or are you worrying about what _you_ did wrong, or how _your_ relationship with him is going?” As Cristiano let a small silence fall and Iker looked down guiltily. Before he was able to form any further thoughts about the question though, Cristiano had picked his speech back up again.

“Because you have to realize, Iker, that Sergio and your _relationship_ with Sergio aren’t the same thing! Sergio is a person that has always been your best friend. He’s the one that you trust with everything, and vice versa. You understand him better than anyone. But your _relationship_ with him is what’s on your mind the whole time. That is what’s confusing you, not Sergio himself. You have to keep them separate, okay? You understand Sergio like no one else and from understanding Sergio, you’ll start to understand your relationship.” Iker was dumbfounded that a man that felt like his younger brother had so much wisdom hidden within him. He felt extremely guilty, because Cristiano was completely right. He _had_ only been worried about how the relationship affected him, not even considering the fact that, of course, it had been affecting Sergio too.

Iker’s head was spinning with too many questions he wanted to ask Cristiano and he opened his mouth to start rapid firing them at the other man, but Cristiano held up his hand. He had his own plan and he was going to see it through.

“When did he start becoming distant, Iker?” As Iker’s mind started playing back the events form the night before, he realized that he’d felt the change in atmosphere right after they, or rather _he_ , had talked about the fact that they needed to have a big talk. Even though Sergio had fallen asleep cuddled up to the goalkeeper, there had been a certain distance between them. Sergio had seemed _scared_.

“He got scared last night, Cris. After I told him that we needed to have a talk about how we’re going to make this relationship work.” Cristiano seemed to be thinking about what Iker had just told him and was just about to answer him when Iker quickly added, “but he knows that I want to try!” Cris just raised his eyebrow at him.

“Does he though? What exactly did you tell him last night?”

As Iker repeated the words that he’d spoken to Sergio in big lines, Cris nodded his head.

“Okay, I’m going to lay it out for you really simple. Basically, what you told him was that you wouldn’t leave him _like that_. You never said that you weren’t going to leave, period. He’s doubting himself, Iker, just like you are doing! The fact that the fight you guys had escalated so quickly scared him. And rightly so! That never happens between the two of you. It didn’t just make you doubt the _relationship_ , it made him doubt _himself_.” Cristiano took both of Iker’s hands in his own and squeezed them, hard. Iker realized he was trying to make sure that Iker would really listen to his next words and he nodded to show Cris that he would.

“On top of that, you told him that you’d _talk_ once he got better! But _talking_ doesn’t equal a promise to stay, Iker. He’s still afraid of you leaving him! Because if the talk doesn’t turn out so well, then what are you going to do? Break up? He doesn’t realize that you won’t let that happen, Iker! He’s too insecure!” Cris raised his voice at Iker and suddenly Iker understood. It all clicked.

The fact that Sergio hadn’t been happy about getting better, the fact that Iker’s touch as they said their goodbyes had made Sergio cry, all of it made sense now. Iker would be scared to get better too, if it meant that you were going to have a ‘talk’ with your boyfriend about whether you were going to keep the relationship going or not. Because that’s what the talk was to Sergio; a conversation about breaking up or staying together. While in Iker’s eyes it had never been anything but a conversation that would enable them to make this relationship work. He was never going to break up with Sergio, but Sergio didn’t know that because Iker hadn’t been clear enough.

It hurt to realize that _he_ was the reason that Sergio was feeling so anxious right now. There was a feeling building in his chest that Iker could only describe as panic once he fully understood what he had done. He noticed Cris looking at him funny, but the only thing he could focus on was the way that his lungs were not cooperating with what he was telling them to do. It seemed like they weren’t taking in any air and he was starting to feel lightheaded. The only thing that was on his mind, next to a burning feeling in his lungs due to the lack of oxygen, was that Sergio was doubting himself, was _insecure_ about himself, because of Iker. Because of _him_!

The walls seemed to be closing in on him, but suddenly Cris was there, his hands on either side of Iker’s face. His voice seemed to be far away when he yelled his name and Iker couldn’t seem to focus on him. The panic was drawing him further and further away, and there was nothing that Iker could do about it.

Suddenly, Sergio’s voice was somewhere close by. He was calling Iker’s name and saying other things that Iker couldn’t quite understand over the white noise in his ears. But Sergio wasn’t here! How could he-?

Iker’s thought process was halted by the realization that there was a phone pressed against his ear. A split second later, he noticed that Cris was patiently holding it to his ear, looking at Iker compassionately.

“Iker? Hey, Iker, are you there?” Sergio’s voice sounded more worried than Iker had ever heard him and he inwardly sighed. Sergio was still sick and now he was forced to worry about Iker too? That felt very wrong to Iker.

Sergio kept repeating his name, asking him to answer and Iker was really trying, but he hadn’t found his voice yet. His breathing was beginning to return to a normal pace though, and he felt like he could finally take in enough oxygen again.

“Sese…” Iker finally managed to get out and Sergio laughed on the other side of the phone. It was a sound that Iker hadn’t heard since before their fight and he felt like he could drown in the happiness that engulfed him. Hearing Sergio’s laugh again felt like a band-aid for all the stress and doubts that he had felt over the last few days.

Sergio chuckled again when Iker kept quiet.

“Yeah, Iker, it’s me. Hi… Are you okay?”  Iker tried to think about that. Was he? He didn’t know. Everything he was feeling right now was magnified and jumbled in his head. He had no idea how he was feeling. The only thing he did know for sure is the one thing that he told Sergio right then.

“I’m never leaving you!”

It was quiet on the other side of the phone for a little bit and Iker was worried that he might’ve scared Sergio with his confession. He heard a long sigh and Iker closed his eyes to brace himself for whatever Sergio was going to say next.

“Good,” was the only thing he said. His voice didn’t sound overly thrilled, but it sounded all the more hopeful. “That’s really good.” A smile broke across Iker’s face and Cristiano noticed that the conversation had completely calmed Iker down. He was still holding the phone next to his ear, but after he saw Iker’s smile, he took the phone away from him and started talking to Sergio himself.

Iker didn’t care, he was replaying the words Sergio had just said over and over again in his mind. Sergio didn’t want him to go. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Sergio wanted him to stay.

When Cristiano lightly squeezed his hand to bring him back to the present, he had a smile on his face.

“C’mon, old man! We’re going to have lunch and then you can go home to him.” But Iker started shaking his head. He didn’t want to have lunch here. He wanted to be with Sergio as soon as possible, but Cristiano was shaking his head.

“I promised Sergio that I’d make you eat something before you drove off. No discussion.” Iker nodded, a little stunned by the authority in Cristiano’s voice. This is why he was such a good captain when it came down to it. Iker sounded exactly the same when he was talking to the team as the captain of the squad. He smiled proudly at the young man and nodded. No discussion meant no discussion for a man like Cristiano.

Although Iker decided to stay, he ate his lunch in record time. Fifteen minutes later, he was in his car on his way home. When he turned the key in the lock of Sergio’s front door, he smiled. On his way ‘home’ could now mean two things, he thought. His house. Or Sergio’s.

What he found when he walked into the living room confused him. Sergio was sitting on the couch with a bag of chips and a glass of coke. He looked up surprised, and a little guilty, when he heard the door open.

“Sese? Why aren’t you in bed? I thought you were feeling worse again?” Iker inquired and Sergio just shrugged.

“You’re not going to leave, right?” Dumbfounded, the older man was standing in the middle of the living room. Had Sergio not heard his earnest confession on the phone an hour ago?

“No, baby, I’m not going to leave you. That was never my intention!” Sergio nodded and put his food and drink aside before petting the couch, signaling that Iker had to sit down next to him. Iker did and folded his legs underneath him on the couch, getting comfortable.

“I wasn’t really sick this morning, which is why I locked the door… And I wasn’t really sick when I texted you either,” Iker wanted to interrupt him to tell him that he understood, but when Sergio noticed he was about to talk he held up his hand to stop Iker from doing so.

“I was scared. Because you said that if I got better we’d have that talk… And I thought you would leave after that talk. So I thought that if I just kept on acting sick, we wouldn’t have to have that talk for a little while longer.” Iker nodded and opened his arms, extending them towards Sergio for a hug.

The younger man didn’t hesitate before throwing himself into Iker’s arms. Iker could feel the nerves radiating off of him and started rubbing his back softly.

“Shhh, Sese. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not walking away. You don’t have to be afraid, okay? I just meant that there are some things we need to talk about so we can make this relationship stronger.” Sergio struggled to get his arms behind Iker’s back where it was resting against the couch, but he managed and hugged him so tight that Iker felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was the same feeling he’d had in the hallways with Cris, but this time it didn’t feel suffocating to him. It felt like a blanket of love was spread over him and he wouldn’t even need oxygen to survive. Sergio’s love alone would be good enough for the rest of his life.

Later that night in bed, Sergio was laying with his head on Iker’s chest, which was becoming their go-to position. He was listening to the soft but steady heartbeat that was thumping inside of Iker’s chest. Iker was softly stroking Sergio’s arm and he realized that this was the happiest he’d been in a very long time. He softly squeezed Sergio’s arm before saying something that he thought he’d never say to his best friend in this way, but here he was.

“Sese…” He breathed in deeply, trying to gather the courage to finish his sentence. The next words came out rushed and in one breath, but Iker couldn’t care less. At least he’d said them. “IreallythinkIloveyou.”

There was a long silence as Sergio was probably trying to decipher the words in his head and when he did, he chuckled.

“Yeah,” he answered, “I love you too, Iker.” Iker was sure that Sergio noticed the way his heart had started beating faster and faster inside his chest, but Iker didn’t mind. The man he loved had just told him that he loved him too, he was entitled to some excitement. Sergio tilted his head up and Iker captured his lips in a slow, long kiss that was full of nothing but love.

“Goodnight, baby,” he told Sergio as he kissed the top of his head about ten minutes later.

The younger man smiled up at him and placed his hand on the side of Iker’s face, stealing another kiss.

“Goodnight, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was it! I hope all of you enjoyed it.  
> Don't be shy to request a story if you want me to write something in particular! I love writing for people!  
> You can leave a comment, or send me an ask/message on Tumblr (http://ginivandijk.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Bye for now!


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